Maurice Hope: Class In and Out of the Ring

I recently saw a poster for the 1986 World title bout between “Terrible” Tim Witherspoon and Britain’s own Frank Bruno. The fight took place in Wembley Stadium and Bruno, the home fighter, carried the hopes and dreams of all England with him when he squared up to hugely underrated American champion. “Terrible” Tim was a fine fighter who never received his full credit and there was a genuine belief amongst Londoners that the WBA belt would find a new home that warm summer’s night. It was not to be, however, and Witherspoon broke many hearts when he felled the brave challenger with several overhand rights. I lived in the city at that time and the loss was acutely felt by all. But it was, and continues to be, a city with a wonderful tradition in the ring and London’s East end is a place proud of its fighters whether they win, lose or draw. I frequented many pubs during my years by the Thames and I always enjoyed the discussion and debate that came when beer and boxing were mixed….”a Canning Town cocktail” as it was once described. Canning Town was the district of London where the Terry Lawless/Frank Black run Royal Oak Gym produced such fighters as Bruno, John H Stacey and Charlie Magri. But of all the boxers who passed through the hands of Lawless, Black and, of course, Jimmy Tibbs in the gym on Barking Road, none carried more respect amongst Eastenders than light middleweight Maurice Hope.

Hope was born in St Johns, Antigua on December 6th 1951 and moved to London nine years later with his father, Norris, his mother, Sarah, and his five brothers and sisters. They settled in Hackney and Maurice set out on what would become a successful amateur career that culminated with a place on the UK boxing squad at the ill fated 1972 Munich Olympics. A year later he turned professional and, under the guidance of the Royal Oak brigade, he would wear the British Light Middleweight belt by November 1974. Seven months later he would suffer defeat at the hands of Bunny Sterling for the vacant British Middleweight title but it was a great learning curve for Hope who had established his premium fighting weight and had handled the loss graciously. In October 1976 he won the EBU (European) Light Middleweight title in a bruising affair that saw him stop Vito Antuofermo in the dying seconds of the 15th round. His first world title crack came 5 months later when he challenged Eckhard Dagge for the Germans WBC title and many felt that Hope fell foul of a hometown decision. A thrilling fight saw the British judge give the bout to the Hackney fighter with his German counterpart awarding the fight to the German champion in Berlin and the Italian judge calling it even…a draw…champion retains the belt.

By the time Hope earned another world title tilt, he had compiled a record of 28 -2-1, 22 KO’s. This time he would travel to Liguria, Italy to face the WBC light Middleweight champion and local favorite Rocky Mattioli. The Antigua man would not allow the decision come by way of the scorecards on this occasion and he stopped the Italian in round 9. They would fight a rematch in London just over a year later and Hope would retain the title with an 11th round TKO. But his next defense would be against a young Puerto Rican fighter whose only loss to date had come in a 15 round humdinger with Sugar Ray Leonard, a fighter who would go on to beat Roberto Duran and lose out via a hotly contested majority decision to Tommy Hearns, a man who would become a multiple world champion, a legend that was Wilfred “El Radar” Benitez.

That bout would take place in Las Vegas in what would be Hope’s first and last fight in the US. On May 23rd 1981, in front of a packed house at Caesars Palace, Maurice Hope would give his all over 35 minutes against the ultra talented Benitez but “El Radar” would prove too good and the bout would not see the end of the 12th round. The trip to Nevada wasn’t a total loss for Hope though as he married his girlfriend, Pat, before returning back to the UK. Brilliant as Benitez was, it was Hope’s next opponent, Luigi Minchillo, who most impressed him. Maurice lost out to Minchillo on a split decision but was full of praise for the Italian when he cast an eye back over his career. “He was without doubt the best fighter I faced in my 35 professional contests” Hope would later say. He was also the last fighter Hope would face. With an impressive record of 30-4-1, 24 KO’s, Maurice Hope bowed out of his career but the boxing bug was burrowed too deeply into his soul to see him bid adieu to the sport he loved.

As the years passed by, Hope and Benitez would form a friendship based on loyalty and a shared experience. “El Radar” would develop Diabetes and Hope would travel regularly to Puerto Rico where the two old fighters would trade war stories and enjoy the rewards of hard earned gains. In recognition of his achievements, the government of Antigua bestowed some land to Hope and, loyal to a fault, he took over the coaching of the national boxing team. He is under no illusions about the countries chances at major events though. “It’s very hard to get our boxers to qualify” Hope lamented “We have to get through the Caribbean stages and then the South American but we are hopeful for the future”. Maurice also returns to the streets of Hackney as often as he can.

In October of 2014, he surprised the crowds with soulful renditions of the Bob Marley classics “One Love” and “No woman, No Cry” at a community event held at the Hackney Empire. “Singing certainly gives me the opportunity to express a sensitive side” the former champ joked. He is a member of an over 50’s art group called the Hackney Empire Elders dedicated to providing a social scene for those who may feel isolated by age. “Everything is going on when you’re 20-40” Hope stated “but as you get older, it becomes more difficult to show off your talent. The group gives us all a sense of purpose”.

Maurice Hope was a fans favorite back in the days when “a Canning Town cocktail” was something to be enjoyed. He was just an ordinary guy with an extraordinary talent that he would be the last to acknowledge. Fame never changed him at all and defeat never detracted from the life he enjoyed outside the ring. He lost a title in Las Vegas but gained a wife in Pat and a lifelong friend in Wilfred Benitez. He remained loyal to those who stood by him and he gave back to his country when it saw fit to honor him. He is one of the great tales from the many pages of the Royal Oak and his is a story that’s been written into the very folklore of London’s East end.